Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) Given Consensus Rating of “Hold” by Analysts

Shares of Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) have earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the eleven ratings firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month price objective among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $56.7778.

Several research firms have issued reports on OZK. UBS Group reiterated a “neutral” rating and issued a $51.00 target price on shares of Bank OZK in a research note on Tuesday, January 6th. Zacks Research raised shares of Bank OZK from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, January 7th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Bank OZK in a research report on Thursday, October 30th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of Bank OZK from $59.00 to $57.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday. Finally, TD Cowen decreased their target price on shares of Bank OZK from $56.00 to $54.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Root Financial Partners LLC purchased a new stake in Bank OZK in the third quarter valued at about $27,000. BOKF NA acquired a new position in shares of Bank OZK during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Highline Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Bank OZK during the third quarter valued at about $28,000. V Square Quantitative Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Bank OZK in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. Finally, True Wealth Design LLC boosted its stake in Bank OZK by 147.0% in the 3rd quarter. True Wealth Design LLC now owns 568 shares of the company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 338 shares in the last quarter. 86.18% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Bank OZK Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:OZK opened at $46.27 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $5.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.50 and a beta of 0.90. Bank OZK has a 52 week low of $35.71 and a 52 week high of $53.66. The company has a quick ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.02 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.08. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $46.92 and a 200 day moving average of $48.64.

Bank OZK (NASDAQ:OZK) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 20th. The company reported $1.53 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.56 by ($0.03). The company had revenue of $436.29 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $434.68 million. Bank OZK had a net margin of 25.50% and a return on equity of 12.65%. During the same period last year, the business posted $1.56 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that Bank OZK will post 6.02 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Bank OZK Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, January 20th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, January 13th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, January 13th. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.0%. This is a boost from Bank OZK’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.45. Bank OZK’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 29.82%.

About Bank OZK

Bank OZK, formerly known as Bank of the Ozarks, is a regional commercial bank headquartered in Little Rock, Arkansas. Established in 1903, the bank offers a full suite of banking products and services to both individual and corporate clients. Through a combination of organic growth and targeted acquisitions, Bank OZK has built a diversified lending portfolio and a strong deposit franchise.

The bank’s core operations focus on commercial real estate lending, including acquisition, development and construction financing.